Hat-printing machine



(No Model.)

T. J. MoGARTHY.

HAT PRINTING MACHINE.

Patented May 31, 189 8 i/QW 6%.

WITNESSES J u .7;

INVENTOH UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS J. MCCARTHY, OF ORANGE VALLEY, NEW JERSEY.

HAT-PRINTING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 604,778, dated May 31, 1898.

Application filed July 21, 1897.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS J. MCCARTHY, of Orange Valley, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and Improved Hat-Printin g Machine, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to an improvement in devices for printing labels, firm-names, and ornamental designs of similar character within a hat, and comprises certain improvements having for their obj eet to facilitate the working of the device and to increase its capacity, at the same time rendering it capable of doing work which is not done on ordinary machines of this character. 7

The invention consists of certain details of construction, which will be specifically pointed out hereinafter.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a front elevation of my device. Fig. 2 is a sectional side elevation thereof, and Fig. 3 is a plan View of the printing-bed and inking device. 7

My device is mounted upon a'frame comprising the base A two side members 'or posts A, and the top cross-piece A Within this frame and forming a part thereof are the vertical posts B, which form guides upon which the sliding frame B travels. The frame B is provided with top and bottom bars embracing the posts B, and also with a plunger E, mountedv to have a limited reciprocation at the center of the frame. The plunger E is normally supported by a spiral spring E which bears against the lower one of thecross-bars of the frame B and a collar E, fastened to the plunger.

The upper end of the plunger is engaged by the cam-surface 0 upon the pivoted end of a cam-lever O, and by means of the lever O the plunger may be depressed when the impress of theprinting device is made. The frame B, carrying the plunger, is counterweighted by means of weights a, attached to cords a which pass over pulleys a, the shafts of which are jonrnaled in the upper end of the main frame. By this means the frame B may be readily raised and lowered to its inoperative and operative positions.

Serial No. 645,326. (No model.)

The lower end F of the plunger is made hollow and has the printing-die f secured to the base F thereof. The printing-die is heated by means of a gas-burner G, placed within the hollow of the lower section F and supplied with gas by means of a tube G.

An arm D is pivoted to the frame B and is provided near its upper end with a side notch d, so placed as to engage a pin A, mounted upon the main frame, when the frame B is in its lowermost position. This locks the frame B and prevents its return until the bar I) has been released from engagement with the pin A. The bar D is normally held in engagement with the pin by means of a spring D, pressing against its side. The arm I) also has an adjustable pin d,en gageable by the lever C,

.so as to free the lever I) from the pin A when the lever G is thrown up by the spring E after the impression by the printing device has been made.

. Upon the base of the machine are fixed two cross-rails I, engaged by guides J upon the bottom of the transverse slide J. Mounted upon this transverse slide is the impressionbed or anvil H, to the upper portion of which is secured a plate h, forming an impressionbed. This impression-bed or anvil is so placed upon the slide that when it is pushed back it will be in line with the plunger F. Mounted upon the rear end of the slide J are the posts L, which are preferably made as tubes having bars or rods L sliding Within the same and secured at any position desired by means of set-screws. (See Fig. 1.)

The upper ends of the rods L support the ends of the inking-roller L, which roller is adjusted at such aheight that when the frame B is in its uppermost position and the slide J is pulled outward the roller L will engage the lower surface of the printing-die F, thus inking the same. The roller L is supplied with ink by means of a revolving plate K, adjustably support-ed upon a central post consisting of the tube K and bar K sliding within the same, said bar being held as adjusted by means of a set-screw. This plate with a spring-pawl L, which will engage the teeth of the plate K to revolve the plate a slight degree at each reciprocation of the slide J.

In using my device the parts are placed in the position shown by full lines in Fig. 1. The inking roller and plate having been supplied with the ink, the slide J is drawn out, so as to ink the under surface of the printin g-die. The slide is then pushed back until the printing-bed or anvil H is in line with the plungerF and the printing-die f. The lever D is then released from the pin A and the frame B is drawn down. This will bring the frame B to the position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1, in which the die will be raised a slight distance above the impression-bed. Before drawing down the frame B the hat to be printed is placed in position upon the impressionbed. When the frame has been drawn down to its lower position, the notch din the armD engages the pin A, locking the frame in position. The lever C is then pulled down, engaging. the cam-surface O with the other end of the plunger and fore ing the same firmly down upon the impression bed and the hat resting thereon. Upon releasing the lever C thespring E will raise the plunger a slight degree, at the same time throwing up the lever C and automatically releasing the arm D by contact of the lever with the pin 01. This permits the frame B to rise under the influence of the counterweights a, thus permitting the hat to be removed.

The raised anvil or impression-bed shown in my device enables the hat to be printed either upon the band orin the crown. The detachable platoh of the printing-bed and the printing-die f may be made with curved surfaces, if desired, in order to accommodate the same to the curves of hats.

The slide J being movable transversely of the machine enables the die to be freshly inked after each impression and also enables the hat to be put into position without difliculty. The upward movement of the frame B as a whole also facilitates this operation, said movement raising the plunger entirely above the impression-bed and enabling the hat to be readily put in place.

Having thus described my invention, I claimas new anddesire to secure by Letters Patent- '1. A hat-printing machine, comprising a frame having guideways thereon, a frame mounted'ito slide on said guides, a lockfor 1 2. A hat-printing machine, comprising a frame having vertical guides, a frame mount-' ed to slide on said guides and provided with counter-balances, a lockfor holding the frame in its lower position, a plunger mounted in said frame and carrying the printing-die, a spring normally supporting the plunger, a lever connected to said plunger to depress it, and an impression-bed beneath said plunger, substantially as described. I

.3. A hat-printing machine, comprising a frame havingvertical guides,a frame mounted to slide on said guides and having counterbalances attached, a lock for holding said frame in its lower position, a plunger, hollow in its lower portion, mounted in said frame and carrying the. printing-die, a gas heating apparatus within said plunger forheating the die, a spring normally supporting the plun-- ger, a lever connected to said plunger to depress it, and an impression-bed beneath said plunger, substantially as described.

4. A hat-printing machine, comprising a vertically-movableframe having therein a reciprocable plunger carrying a printing-die, a lock engaging said frame in its lower position a lever for depressing the plunger, a transversely-movable slide, an impression-bed I mounted thereon,and an inking-roller mount ed upon said slide and engaging the surface of the printing-die when the latter is in its upper position, substantially as described.

5. A hat-printing machine, comprising a vertically-movable plunger carrying a printing-die, a counterweighted frame supporting said plunger and mounted to slide vertically, a spring normally supporting the plunger in said frame, a lever for depressing'the plun- E ger, a transversely-movable slide, an impression-bed mounted thereon, and an inkingf the surface of the printing-die when the lat ter is in its upper position,.substantially as described.

THOMAS J. MCCARTHY.

Witnesses;

' ALBERT F. KIRSTEN,

LEWIS F. KIRSTEN.

-, roller mounted upon the slide and engaging 

